This invention relates to exercise apparatus and, more particularly, to apparatus for effecting a non-impact aerobic workout of the user. Specifically, the type of exercise facilitated by the inventive apparatus is striding.
Non-impact aerobic workouts are known to be beneficial for cardiovascular fitness while at the same time not being deleterious to the bones and joints of the individual. While it is possible to achieve such a workout without the assistance of any apparatus, it is often inconvenient and difficult to do so. Thus, if one wanted to use walking as an exercise, since walking involves only slight impact, the ability to do so outdoors is influenced by the weather. A particularly effective type of walking is known as "striding", wherein long steps are taken with exaggerated swinging of the arms, often while holding weights in both hands. In addition to weather related problems, when performing such an exercise outdoors, uneven terrain can make the exercise difficult and can even result in injuries. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide exercise apparatus which facilitates a striding workout that can be performed indoors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,747 to Piaget et al discloses striding exercise apparatus wherein the pivot axes for the arm members are above the pivot axes for the leg members. Hydraulic cylinders are connected to the arm and leg members to provide resistance when the arm and leg members are reciprocated. This adds expense to the apparatus which, in any event, is bulky so that it is not particularly suitable for home use. It is therefore a further object of this invention to provide striding exercise apparatus of the type described which is inexpensive, which utilizes the user's own body weight as resistance to avoid the inclusion of expensive resistance elements, and which is compact so that it is suitable for home use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,585 to Dalebout discloses a striding exerciser having a frame and a pair of pivoting leg members which support a user above the floor. A pair of handle members pivot about the same axis as the leg members and extend upwardly therefrom to effect a "poling" motion of the user's arms. In one embodiment, a cable mechanism is provided to force opposite rotation of the pair of leg members with respect to each other. Although the Dalebout apparatus is more compact than the Piaget et al apparatus and therefore is more suitable for home use, a disadvantage of the Dalebout apparatus is that the cable mechanism is complicated to assemble and service, in addition to increasing the cost of the apparatus. It is therefore another object of this invention to provide striding exercise apparatus for home use which is simple to assemble and service and which includes a low cost mechanism for interconnecting the arm and leg members.